MARYSVILLE — For once, the Marysville community was able to stage a “green day” during the weekend following Earth Day in some pleasant weather.
April 30 saw a large turnout at the Marysville Municipal Court parking lot for the city’s annual Shred Day, with city of Marysville Community Information Officer Doug Buell reporting that 300 cars had driven through by 10:15 a.m.
“Our goal was to get 400 cars this year, since we got 380 last year,” Buell said. “It’s gone up every year due to word of mouth but the weather has helped this year.”
Marilyn Boe, manager of HomeStreet Bank’s Marysville branch, reported that the event’s donations had reached $350 by 10:15 a.m., up from the $280 in total donations from last year.
“It’s good to have our guys helping the community,” said Marysville-Pilchuck High School Assistant Football Coach Brian McCutchen, as his players took boxes and bags of papers from the cars to the two shredding trucks, double the number that were on site last year. “We want to support them for the support they’ve given to us.”
The Marysville First Assembly Church also hosted its annual Got Trash Day on April 30, with Pastor Nik Baumgart praising the 30 volunteers who took in trash from the community to fill the 320 cubic yards of dumpsters behind the church, as well as the 25 volunteers who provided free car washes to those who dropped off disposables and recyclables.
“We want folks to know that we’re about more than serving our own needs,” Baumgart said. “We want to better the community and this is one way to do it.”
Baumgart laughed as he noted that his own parishioners often raid the dumpsters for obscure antiques, including VHS tapes and wooden statues.
The Marysville Community Food Bank was collecting donations at the “green day” activities, and volunteer Carol Telschow estimated their trailer had taken in more than $300 and 400 pounds of food at the Marysville First Assembly Church alone by 11:30 a.m.
Jennings Park completed the trifecta of the day’s events with Earth Day-themed information booths and work parties, as Jeff Mallahan of the Washington Conservation Corps of Snohomish County credited more than 200 volunteers with planting 250 native trees and shrubs, as well as clearing out 15 cubic yards of blackberries.
“We only had 170 volunteers registered,” Mallahan said. “We ran out of T-shirts. We didn’t expect to be able to plant all our trees today.”
Marysville resident Seattle Sims found out about the planting from her science teacher, and while she found it frustrating to try and find the ends of the blackberry roots, she took pride in knowing that her trees would be enjoyed by others for years to come. Seattle’s mom, Sharon Sims, joked that the day’s labors were “all about the workout” for her.
“This is my second Earth Day planting here,” said Connie Smith, also of Marysville. “It can be hard to keep my girls motivated, but I know I’m saving the city some dollars and making a difference for our community.”
